1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus which may switch a sheet conveyance path in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and facsimile terminal equipment, and to an image forming apparatus using the sheet conveying apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic device has realized high-speed processing, colorization, as well as reduction in size.
In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and facsimile terminal equipment, there has been sometimes used a sheet-conveyance-path switching mechanism for switching a conveyance path on which a sheet is conveyed. One example is an image forming apparatus that can perform recording on both sides of a sheet. Usually, a switching mechanism actuates a separation claw or a branch board (the separation claw or the branch board may also function as a conveying guide and generically called “conveying-guide switching member” hereinafter) for switching the conveyance path, using an actuator such as solenoid.
However, a conventional sheet-conveyance-path switching device has actuated a conveying-guide switching member, using an actuator such as a solenoid, for switching operation of a switching mechanism to switch a conveyance path. Accordingly, as there is not a driving region large enough for the conveying guide switching member, it has not been easy to remove jammed paper in an inner portion of the conveying guide switching member, when the conveying guide switching member is mounted in a main body of an image forming apparatus.
Then, there has been proposed a conveyance-path switching mechanism (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2001-039602) in which, as shown in FIG. 7, a conveying guide switching member 101 and a support material 102 are opened as one body in cooperation with a opening-and-closing cover 100 when the opening-and-closing cover 100 is opened. According to this mechanism, when the opening-and-closing cover 100 is opened, the conveying guide switching member 101 goes away from jammed paper, and a paper sheet conveyance branch portion is widely opened for easy removal of jammed paper.
However, in a configuration according to JP-A No. 2001-039602, a space for jam recovery is secured by rotating the conveyance-path switching mechanism in its entirety, rather than one component of the conveying guide switching member. Therefore, a complex link mechanism is required and a larger rotational locus of the opening-and-closing cover 100 is caused to require a larger space.
Moreover, in the configuration of JP-A No. 2001-039602, when jammed paper is generated on both front side and back side in the conveying guide switching member, an opening-and-closing guide is closed after the jammed paper on the front side is removed first, and the opening-and-closing guide is required to be opened again in order to remove the jammed paper on the back side.
The present invention has been made, considering the above-described problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet conveying apparatus, which has an excellent performance in jam recovery, and an image forming apparatus provided therewith.